These are reviews of Zen Toro left in 2006.
2006-01-12 23:16:41 The best Japanese in Davis. I've gone twice this week. —JonasMari
2006-01-13 15:18:47 DITTO. Hands down best sushi in Davis. Very nice atmosphere inside. —JeffSpeckles
2006-01-13 19:18:58 Whoa, Japanese proprietors! I'm there! —KenjiYamada
2006-01-25 15:01:35 I've been there three times now, and I've really been enjoying the food. Though the actual amount of beef teryaki you get can seem insufficiant. Try putting some soy sauce on the potato/Macaroni salad, it needs some salt. —CharlesGeorge
2006-01-28 04:03:40 I went there with my S.O. the other night. The service was excellent. The food was great, although I wish they wouldn't make the miso soup quite so salty. Also, their payment trays have the American Express logo, but they don't take American Express. All in all, very minor complaints, and far outweighed by the great food. I'll definitely be back. —GrahamFreeman
2006-02-09 09:28:48 We went there for dinner last night, and the food was very good. The service, well, nothing spectacular; she tried to upsell us into too much sake and too much food, and while two people opened the split of sparkling wine I ordered, no one bothered to actually pour it into my glass, which was a bit of a surprise. But the rolls looked great, and with the exception of the calimari lovers roll, which had a sauce that was way too vinegar-ish, they all tasted good as well. I wish they had some sort of "best of" menu, since they have 20 different kinds of designer rolls. —DanielBrown
2006-02-22 22:37:31 This place is great! Check it out if you like sushi. —DaveBanister
2006-03-14 20:47:05 interesting rolls, everything tasted very good. muy expensivo. best sushi place in davis and probably one of my favorite restaurants in the area. —EmilyTung
2006-03-16 17:37:41 The food here is excellent! The sashimi lunch set (with tonkatsu) wasn't as big as I thought considering the price, but the tuna tasted fresh and the tonkatsu was light even though it's fried. (The actual menu is larger than the one on their website.) The ZT Crunch roll and Scotty roll were huge and delicious as well. The macaroni salad kinda threw me off. There were only a few patrons there at lunchtime (Thursday), and service was prompt. Everything is a little pricey, but most Japanese restaurants are anyway. Highly recommended if you have extra cash. —JennaChan
2006-03-19 02:56:36 The oceans king sushi is so good, their spider roll was okay but nothing special. It can be pretty pricy if you're used to fujis but the quality is definetly better. service was just okay though —JessicaFu
2006-03-19 14:27:45 My boyfriend and I went there on March 17th and the food was great. The service was sort of mediocre, but at the same time the place was packed. One thing I don't like about the place is how the tables are all closed together. It reminds me of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasom(sp?). —PattyLouieJunior
2006-03-22 22:05:38 The food was delicious, and the sushi was a lot better than Fuji's. But, there were not enough people who worked there meaning the service was only ok. The one waitress worked really hard, but there was simply too much for her to do and we ended up waiting a long while for water and the check. —ES
2006-04-28 21:02:23 Oh man, I just ate here. It was really good. I don't think I can ever go back to Fuji's or Nobu. It did cost me an arm and a leg, though. —TomAbeles
2006-05-21 16:26:04 The food was great, but the service was TERRIBLE. The waitress was rude from the get-go, completely inattentive, and we waited for our sushi rolls for over a half hour. I asked to speak to the manage to let him know that I was dissatisfied and he was defensive and rude from the start. He actually said that it would be ok with him if we never came back - what kind of customer service is that? Even though the food was fantasic (especially the salmon nugget appetizer), it was not enough to make up for the appallingly bad service. —AnnNguyen
2006-05-22 11:41:43 Absolutely terrible service. WILL NOT EAT THERE AGAIN. The first thing we were told was that parties of 6 or more would be charged 18% gratuity (we had a party of 5...), and the menu clearly states that parties of 8 or more will be charged. Brilliant. One woman in my party received her roll (a very simple one) after everyone else's plates had been cleared. When she politely asked to speak to the manager about this, he came out and initially apologized, offering her the roll at no charge. After making several excuses about the sushi chefs being backed up due to a party of 9 next to us, she told him that was still unacceptable and she would be reluctant to return to this restaurant. The manager responded by telling her that maybe she SHOULDN'T come back. After all that, we ended up paying for her roll, plus the 18% gratuity we should not have been charged. Overall lousy experience, and the quality of the food did little to make up for it. —LauraHiggins
The manager came out and apologized, explained the situation, and offered to pay for the item. What else did you want? For something the restaurant obviously did not do on purpose, I don't understand why you would continue to press the management after their ammends. —TheodoreSuryapurnama
you would be correct if they actually comped the roll, but it seems like it was all talk just to shut them up and get them out. the roll seemed to have been charged after they offered to comp it, going back on one's word just because they said they would not be likely to return is ridiculous, and shows that the only reason they offered to comp it was because they were trying to get them back for business, and had absolutely nothing to do with principle. —MattHh
People that complain about gratuity regardless of whether or not it was supposed to be charged have got to be the cheapest people in the entire world. Is that extra 3% so objectionable to you? or were you planning on being one of those morally reprehensible people who tips 10% or doesn't tip at all? The menu might say 8 people, but the owner might have changed the policy and not had time to change the menus. people like you make me sick. —CrazyeyeKillah
2006-05-28 19:28:07 I think one misconception people have about Japanese restaurants is that the food is supposed to arrive really fast. But in order to receive good presentation, the sushi chefs have to spend a little bit more time in order to prepare the food. Besides, if the food arrives late, it's not necessarily the server's fault since she/he is not making the food. Either way, I personally loved the food here. The fish is a lot fresher than the other Japanese restaurants in town. —SummerDaiz
2006-06-07 15:26:49 The food is delicious and the presentation is beautiful. I recommend the Hawaiian Poke Salad. However, the service is not as great. Perhaps a larger staff and proper training would fix that. —JennChoi
2006-06-07 21:34:29 I'm in love with this place. I keep hearing it would be expensive but it wasn't at all! The food was incredibly delicious. I went around 5:45 so I got really good service since it was me and two other parties in the restaurant. And the women's toilet is the type that washes you and has a heated toilet seat. —JoAnnaRich
2006-06-09 09:45:29 i went there a few weeks after their opening. I too have always favored moshi moshi for their rolls and nigiri, (I actually love a place in Sacramento called Taka's) but this place is pretty good too, definitely better quality than Fujis, Osakas, or Nobu. —TheodoreSuryapurnama
2006-06-14 18:17:35 My boyfriend and I went today for lunch, and we both liked it very much. It's really worth it if you go for lunch since lunch is cheaper, but I don't know about dinner. We got two meals and an order of ZT Crunch rolls (about 7-9 pieces) for a little under $30. Their rolls are very creative and good! The service wasn't bad either. —MindyYang
This place is the best Japanese around. Hands down. We spent almost 100 dollars, and I didn't feel bad about it one bit. Well, I didn't pay though, but still, you get the point.
The roll did take a while to get, but so what. Sit down and shut up and wait. It's the best place in Davis. End of story.
2006-06-26 15:39:53 This place is comparable to Mikuni's of Sacramento...the place is kinda small, and the service takes a loooong ass time —ChrisNgo
2006-06-26 15:41:32 the sushi is pretty damn good, dont get fried items here though —ChrisNgo
2006-06-26 16:29:49 First bad experience I've ever had here: Went with a friend, but they didn't even acknowledge the large crowd waiting for a table. No waiter came to take our names, or seat us. We ended up leaving shortly after that because of the lack of attention anyone seemed to be getting. I'll be back, but I'll have reservations, or at lunch. —CharlesGeorge
2006-06-26 17:38:29 While Moshi Moshi still wears the crown for the best local sushi in my stomach, this place is great if you're looking for something new and less traditional. Like it was said before, they cater to a Mikuni's type crowd on a much smaller scale. —DatNguyen
2006-06-28 01:37:12 I Love Moshi Moshi, but this place is the best Japanese restaurant in town. Unlike Mikuni's in Sacramento (load of crap where all the rolls taste the same), Zen Toro's is worth the money, my roommate and I frequent Zen Toro's about once a week. Sitting at the bar with Andy and Danny as your sushi chefs is the best option. I'm not sure what some people are complaining about, while not stellar, the service from the normal waitstaff isn't bad at all. I've had Udon, about 10 different specialty rolls, fish and chicken entrees, and nigiri sushi. Overall everything was decent, but my favorite speciality rolls are the Pallette on Fire, Surf and Turf, and Tataki Attack. If you have the money to splurge, getting their specialty of the week (we tried the Bluefin Fatty Tuna) is recommended. For dessert, try the Ginger Ice Cream. I'm not a huge fan of ginger and I really liked the ice cream. —AlvinTsao
2006-07-28 20:57:44 I went here twice. The first time, I had normal entrees and the udon isn't the greatest here. For the second time, I ordered a number of different sushi rolls and they are very unique and pretty good tasting. I used to love Fuji's but I don't think I'll enjoy it as much after going here and tasting fresh, much more expensive sushi. Overall, it's a good experience. If you want to splurge and pay ~$14 per roll, I guess this is the best place to do it in Davis. Besides, the waitresses are nice and the sushi chefs are too. —LiRic
2006-07-30 08:47:04 This place is pretty good, not too expensive. The sushi (just fish and rice) wasn't the biggest I've seen, but they didn't put the wasabi under the fish so I liked it. The rolls were very big and sause-y, lots of stuff on them. Presentation was cool. The waitresses weren't bad, towards the end they didn't really realize we were done eating but that's ok- it was near closing. The place is nice, and I'd recommend going. I plan on going back someday. —ChristyMarsden
2006-08-15 23:42:09 Moshi Moshi has serious competition! the sushi rolls are awesome! and i thought the wait staff was super nice, just a bit slow. we went on a friday night and were seated in about half an hour. —AnsateJones
2006-08-22 23:02:56 I was their very first customer ever at this location, yo! I had the dinner special, nabeyaki udon, and tuna lovers roll. They were all quite delicious. A+++ Will do business with them again. Also check out the 'Last Supper' table in the nook in the wall. —AveLee
2006-08-23 10:17:35 Delicious. Slightly overexpensive compared to really great sushi places in big cities, but I guess relative to Davis it's fair. But the place is understaffed. —ScottAdams
2006-08-31 00:58:11 I don't know where the Tataki Attack roll came from. It might have been space. It might have been Japan. Maybe it was another dimension.. Where ever it came from, it is the best roll I have ever had in my life. The Tuna Lover roll is great, and the "don buri" dishes are huge and flavorful. The udon is also excellent, although I personally prefer Manna's udon. —ChrisLambertus
2006-10-02 17:29:03 Great place, awesome food. I've never had a bad experience there, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes sushi. There's not a better sushi restaurant in Davis. —KseniyaIshina
2006-10-03 00:33:44 I am amused that someone would be attempt to profess some expertise about udon and in the same comment say ... "used to love Fuji'" —JaimeRaba
2006-10-03 19:29:36 Damnit, I should be able to get a complicated freshly made sushi roll within 10 minutes of sitting down. Never mind that I've chosen to share the experience at the same time as 50 other people that also want complicated freshly made sushi rolls. Aren't Asians supposed to be quick with their hands? —JeffSpeckles
2006-10-06 09:38:57 food is great...but the service is HORRIBLE —HuyWu
2006-10-09 16:29:17 Competitive price for Japanese food in Davis. The Udon dish I ordered tasted a little too plain. Good presentation in food. —KiwiSelina
2006-10-20 15:58:32 I takes a loong time for food to come out, the waitresses are cute but the service is lacking. THE PLACE IS ALSO SMALL SO ITS A LONG WAIT ON BUSY DAYS. THE FOOD IS GREAT THOUGH. also this place is closed on Sundays in case your parents want to take you out. —VietnameseStudentAssociation
2006-11-09 12:58:13 Apparently, on Sept. 1, the Zen Toro location in Sac was forced out, and replaced by another sushi restaraunt, under a similar name. This was listed on the Zen Toro website. —RyanClifford
My wife and I were very excited about trying Zen Toro despite some of the negative service reviews. We're not ones to normally complain about service if the food is worth it. Unfortunately we never made it to the food. After waiting 10+ minutes without even being acknowledged we left when two acquaintences of the waitress were given a seat immediately. I'm more than happy to wait for a table if the restaraunt is crowded, but not being noticed stunk of arrogance and bad manners, especially when there was plenty of seating available.
2006-11-20 23:11:41 The fact that "Zen Sushi" replaces "Zen Toro" in Sacramento is a bit disturbing. Sounds like a deliberate attempt to confuse and mislead potential customers into thinking it is the same restaurant. Even if they aren't eligible for federal trademark protections, perhaps there is some "common law" recourse here... —JaimeRaba
2006-11-27 15:27:45 They have to improve on their service, i think their meals are delicious but service wise they're completely lacking. I went to zen toros with a friend recently we were waiting for about 10 minutes at the door, the resturant was not busy at all, they didnt even bother to acknowledge us so we left. —SalHaynes
2006-12-02 02:23:46 I finally got around to sampling this venue for the first time — my girlfriend and I shared the Mix Sashimi Dinner and the SSC (Soft Shelled Crab) specialty role. The Sashimi dinner was exceptionally good: the salmon (my regular favorite) was finally striated and buttery, the tuna soft and delectable, etc. The SSC was moderately enjoyable and comparatively well done, especially in terms of presentation, but I care little for fried crab, so I'm not fit to judge. We also ordered two Masu (mini wooden crates) of Mu Sake (very nice, although the heft of the crates is deceiving: you think you've been served a copious amount, when in fact you haven't, and at six dollars + per Masu, I'd rather not be deceived). The service, even on a busy Friday night, was rapid and responsive. The young lady who served us was delightfully cordial, answering our questions diligently and clearly. —ZN
2006-12-10 00:41:55 This place sucks balls! The service was terrible. The seating was a joke. The food was.....not up to par. I would rather have had Mc Donalds for dinner. The best Japanese place in Davis is Sushi Nobu! —KristaLove
- well, if you think McDonald's is comparatively better, I think we can all safely ignore your criticism. —ZN
* ZN makes an important, and surprisingly succinct, point. We could rate user's comments like ebay. —JeffSpeckles
